Paying the price for a desperate attempt: This Thursday, former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was convicted of orchestrating a plot for members of his far-right extremist group to attack the U.S. Capitol in a bid to keep Donald Trump in power after the Republican lost the 2020 presidential election.
After hearing from dozens of witnesses over more than three months, a jury in Washington, D.C., found Tarrio guilty of seditious conspiracy. Along with him, three other subordinates, Ethan Nordean, Zachary Rehl, and Joseph Biggs were also convicted of numerous felonies including seditious conspiracy for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. The charge carries a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years.
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Although Tarrio wasn’t in Washington on Jan. 6, because he had been arrested two days earlier in a separate case and ordered out of the capital city — prosecutors accused him and the guys of organizing and directing the attack by Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol that day. Soon after the presidential election, investigators alleged Tarrio began posting on social media and in message groups about a “civil war,” and later threatened, “No Trump…No peace. No Quarter.”
Jurors have not yet reached a unanimous verdict on the sedition charge for the fifth defendant named Dominic Pezzola. The judge has told them to keep deliberating.
Several other Proud Boys have pleaded guilty for their actions on Jan. 6. Another went to trial while the larger seditious conspiracy trial was underway. As we previously reported, Joshua Pruitt, a D.C. bartender who joined the Proud Boys and stormed the Capitol that day, was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison in August. Nicholas Ochs, the founder of the Hawaii chapter of the Proud Boys, was also sentenced to four years in prison back in December.
In March, a jury also convicted four members of the Oath Keepers of seditious conspiracy in the second batch of guilty verdicts related to the extremist group’s efforts to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election. The latest verdict is a big victory for the Justice Department, which has now secured convictions against top leaders of both the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers for their roles in the Capitol attack.
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More On What Happened
On January 6th, 2020, the US Capitol was the site of a violent attack by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Thousands of people stormed the building in an attempt to disrupt Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. The attack resulted in five deaths and dozens of injuries, as well as extensive damage to property inside and outside the Capitol. It was one of the most shocking events in recent American history and a stark reminder that violence can never be tolerated in a democratic society.
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